Best Halloween Movies of All Time

Try as you might, there is no way to watch every horror movie ever made in the month of October, no matter what online DVD rental site you use. There are just too many options available. Picking the right Halloween movie for yourself or for a party is important, which is why we've compiled a list of the 20 best horror movies. Also, since Halloween movies come in a wide variety, we've separated them into different categories and picked a winner for each category.

First up: Best Classic Horror Movie, Best Alien Movie, Best Vampire Movie, Best Werewolf Movie and Best Zombie Movie.

Best Classic Horror Movie: Dracula (1931) Dracula is the film that started the classic movie monster craze, and Bela Lugosi set the standard for what a vampire should be. Although it may seem tame by today's standards, people fainted during the screenings of this Halloween movie in the 1930s. This adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel was a huge box office success, and Universal Studio's name soon became synonymous with horror movies.
Interesting tidbit: This film actually had such an impact on Bela Lugosi's life that his family chose to bury him in his Dracula costume.
Honorable Mention: Frankenstein (1931)

Best Alien Movie: Alien (1979)
Even though it is masked as a sci-fi movie, Alien is actually a straightforward horror movie. After all, it's a story about a group of people trapped in a location and slowly being killed off one by one by a stalking killer. This Halloween movie spawned a few sequels, but the original introduced us to yet another frightening possibility of what could be lurking in space.
Interesting tidbit: The actors were not told how much blood would be used during the "chestburster" scene, so the shock on their faces is real.
Honorable Mention: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Best Vampire Movie: Interview with the Vampire (1994)
There are many Halloween movies available that deal with vampires, but this adaptation of Anne Rice's novel adds a sensitivity to vampires without delving into Twilight-mushiness. These vampires keep their edge, and the film doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing the sensuality and violence of vampires.
Interesting tidbit: Anne Rice was quite unhappy with the casting of Tom Cruise as the character Lestat and expressed it publicly a number of times. It wasn't until after she saw the movie that she accepted him in the role and wrote Mr. Cruise a letter of apology.
Honorable Mention: The Lost Boys (1987)

Best Werewolf Movie: An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Director John Landis took an unconventional approach to the werewolf subject by creating this horror-comedy hybrid. This Halloween movie features tongue-in-cheek humor alongside terrifying images of werewolves and mutant Nazis. Plus, it features one of the most impressive transformations scenes ever.
Interesting tidbit: It was because of his work on this Halloween movie that John Landis was chosen to co-write and direct Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video.
Honorable Mention: The Wolf Man (1941)

Best Zombie Movie: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
There were zombie movies before Night of the Living Dead, but with this movie, George A. Romero created the modern zombie. Earlier zombie movies dealt primarily with voodoo, whereas this Halloween movie features radiation that causes the dead to rise and cannibalize the living. This Halloween movie broke a number of barriers and ushered in the zombie craze.
Interesting tidbit: The word "zombie" is never used in this film.
Honorable Mention: Dawn of the Dead (2004)

On Page 2: Best Suspense Movie, Best Haunted House Movie, Best Animal Horror Movie, Best-marketed Horror Movie and Best Silent Horror Movie.